In a growing market of devices such as super slim televisions (some with thicknesses of less than 1 inch), it is desirable to reduce the overall thickness of any tilt head mechanism coupling the device to a wall or other mounting structure or surface. It is desirable to provide low profile television wall mount solutions with similar articulation to existing, more bulky mounts on the market. However, limitations may arise with low profile tilt heads, such as those with thicknesses approaching 1 inch, if the user wants to angle the tilt head up or down an appreciable amount (e.g., about 10 degrees downward). For example, with larger flat panel TVs, the rear bezel of the TV may strike the mounting surface well before achieving the desired 10 degrees of tilt.
Also, many of the latest low profile televisions have mounting attachment locations which are not symmetric about the center of the television. This adds further complication in making a mount which is slim, universal, and offers the same range of motion most end-users are accustomed to in addition to making the mount collapse as flat as possible. Specifically, the ability to tilt the television upward or downward to the desired angle based upon the viewing position becomes difficult due to hole patterns which vary vertically from brand to brand. For example, if a user desires the television to be angled about 10 degrees downward to accommodate for a lower viewing position, the amount of required television offset from the wall to achieve this angle can vary greatly between one brand to the next. This is due to a difference in height, from brand to brand, between the bottom of the television to the center of the mounting holes. For example, for the same 10 degree tilt angle, brand X may require about 1 inch of offset from the wall while brand Y may require 2.5 inches due to the mounting hole pattern being higher on the back of the television for brand Y than brand X. The higher hole pattern causes the bottom of the television to collide with the wall surface sooner for brand Y.
Some existing lower profile mounts on the market utilize a mechanism with a predetermined range of motion such that the tilt is coupled to the extension away from the wall. While this may create a smooth motion, it does not allow the user to minimize the distance the television sits away from the wall at any given tilt angle.
Therefore, it may be desirable to introduce a certain amount of extensibility away from the mounting surface (e.g., wall) such that the flat panel display or other device may be extended away or offset from the wall, tilted to the desired viewing angle, and then pushed back toward the mounting surface until the device's lower or upper edge rests on or near the mounting surface.